£6,360

116

Hello and welcome....

My name is Ollie and I am the producer. I hope that this page will tell you all you need to know about it. But if it doesn't please get in touch and I will do my best to answer your question.

What is Ferried?

Ferried looks at the beginnings of a friendship between Michael, a widower in his 70s, and Ahmed, a local taxi driver. During the film Michael comes out of his self-imposed isolation while Ahmed has to cope with the illness of his brother.

It was conceived way back in March 2015 after reading an article about black cab drivers. One of the cab drivers told of older people so lonely that they would pay for a taxi just so they would have someone to talk to. This was excellent inspiration for a short film. And, without wishing to sound too grand, we thought that it could – just maybe – drive social change.

Loneliness in older people is a large and growing problem.

We did some research and found that loneliness is a huge problem for older people. As the number of older people grows and care budgets shrink, more and more older people are facing later life alone

Of the 11 million older people in the UK, 1 million see friends or family only once a month and 5 million consider television to be their main form of company.

We want to use this film to engage a new, younger audience with the issue of loneliness in older people, and drive them to the great work done by charities across the UK. Or even just call their grandparents.

Our supporters

So far we have managed to get support from Age UK and The Silver Line, two of the biggest age related charities working in the UK.

We are going to use our supporters’ vast networks to reach a huge audience with our message. This is how we hope to drive change.

Our vision

With Ferried we want to show how lonely it is being an older person in Britain.

We don’t want to patronise, nor tell anyone off, we just want to show what it’s like, and what a little kindness can do. That’s Ahmed’s character, and there are hundreds of thousands of Ahmeds in the UK. He could be a relative, a doctor, or the lady in the post-office.

Michael - stubborn mule that he is - is taken from life. He doesn’t want to go to church coffee mornings or pensioner exercise classes, but it doesn’t mean he can survive without others around him.

Muted hues, empty landscape, and a man who will become the closest thing he has to a friend. That’s the film we’re making.

Why crowdfunding?

Firstly - and this is what a lot of people forget! - Kickstarter is a fantastic way to reach an audience. Our goal is to really engage with people and a crowdfunding campaign is a great way to do that.

Secondly, we need the money... We have teamed up with a corporate partner who is kindly providing us with some money to make Ferried. But it’s not enough. We need you to help us raise the remaining portion of the budget to allow us to make the film.

Your money will be spent on:

Paying the crew - This might seem like an obvious point, but often on low budget films the crew works for nothing. Everyone needs to eat and it leads to a much more professional set.Of course we will only be paying the minimum wage but it's a point of principal.Drew and I will not be taking a fee from the project.

A low loader - A low loader is a trailer that can be used to film car sequences without the actors having to drive. It’s essentially a flat bed truck that the camera can be rigged to. Low loaders are a much safer way to film driving scenes. Having someone else drive takes the pressure off the actors. They also allow for greater with camera and better sound, giving much higher production value.

Equipment - We want this film to look and sound cinematic. Having the right professional kit is essential.

Kickstarter Fees - Nothing comes for free. Kickstarter take a small slice of the money raised to cover their costs.

Basically, funding from Kickstarter will help us take the production to the next level.

The rewards…

We have put together a wide range of rewards from a humble ‘thank you’, a screening, to set visits and script writing with Drew. We have thought about what we can offer and what will get people excited.

We can add new rewards so if there’s something you think is missing let us know.

Cast

Richard Cordery

The amazing Richard Cordery will be playing Michael. He is a wonderful actor with - and I hope he doens't mind me saying this - years of experience on stage, television and screen. His film credits include Les Miserables, About Time and the recent BBC adaptation of Esio Trot.

He is really excited to explore the role and how isolation can affect lonely older people. I'm sure that he will show us all what it feels like it feels like to be alone.

Navin Chowdhry

Navin Chowdhry will be playing Ahmed. He is a fantastic and versatile actor. You will have seen him in many shows including Doctor Who, Midsomer Murders and Teachers. He will bring the balance of compassion and humour that Ahmed needs to get Michael out of his shell.

The Team

Director - Mark Blackman

Mark Blackman

Mark has made films since childhood, starting on a Super-8 camera and scarring his fingers editing the film reels. His works have won him numerous awards for directing and cinematography (sometimes lensing films himself) from the likes of The New York Festival and Houston Worldfest. His works have also sold at the likes of the Cannes Film Festival. With a strong command of emotions and performance, his films have often been noted for their bold visuals, sly dialogue, uncompromising approach to difficult subject matter and an unwavering focus on mood and atmosphere.

Writer - Drew Gepp

Drew Gepp

Drew is a writer from London. After reading English at Oxford, Drew spent five years working in Digital Media. During this time he wrote for the charity CALM, and started work on a novel. Since leaving his job in 2014, Drew has dedicated his time fully to writing. He has had fiction and non-fiction published by Arachne Press, Newsweek, and others. He has two shorts (including Ferried) in pre-production and three features in development.
Drew wrote Ferried in the hope that a couple more people will ring their grandparents.

Producer - Ollie Watts

Ollie Watts

Ollie came to filmmaking after four years in finance, having studied physics at Oxford University. He has since worked on several short films, web series, music videos and corporate shoots that are all currently in post production. This professional experience has given Ollie a keen eye for detail and budgeting, and an analytical, problem solving mentality that ensures projects run smoothly. Ferried will be the first project under the Twice Cut banner.

Producer - Roxanne Holman

Roxanne Holman

Selected for the 2013 Edinburgh International Film Festival Talent Lab, Roxanne has produced several drama short films over the past 7 years including short film Silent Treatment (2013) starring Lily James and Soror (2014) starring Rosie Day and Kate Dickie. Most recently she produced Mark Blackman’s short Neon - a dark, high-concept fantasy/thriller due for completion Mid 2016.

DOP - Ruaraid Achilleos-Sarll

Ruaraid has DP'ed on two feature films, countless shorts and many music videos, documentaries and commercials. He's made films for Top Shop, the Royal Opera House, London Live and Lulu Guinness.

Next steps

We have shoot dates set as 20th-22nd May. The more astute of you will have noticed that our campaign doesn't end until after we have shot the film. Pretty unconventional.

Nothing in filmmaking is ever easy. Even pulling together this campaign got delayed. We have great cast and crew confirmed for our dates and we don't want to lose them. That is why we are going ahead.

We can beg, steal and borrow money (mainly from American Express) to get the production going, but we will need to pay that back once the campaign has ended.

A benefit of actually shooting while the campaign is live is that we can show people what they are backing in real time. It's a great chance for you to see exactly what your money is being spent on.

So... *!STAND BY FOR UPDATES!* Ollie is working day and night - honestly - to produce Ferried. It's going to happen!

Thanks for reading. Follow us for updates.

Risks and challenges

Putting together a production of this scale, with a limited amount of time and resources presents certain challenges. There is a huge amount of preparation - logistical and creative - to be done before the shoot. However, we feel our team’s experience - whether it be on film sets or in the corporate world - give us the ability to cope with any difficulties we may face. We are comprehensively insured throughout the shoot - if anything were to happen. We are contractually obliged to have our picture-locked final cut with our sponsors by July 22nd.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £3,000 or more
About $4,405

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER! Your chance to make sure that this project happens and be involved from start to finish. You’ll be with us from the shoot to the screening (and beyond). You will be credited as an EP. Time for some bragging rights!